Anyone has tried this?

[Dr. Dai Phan]

Greetings,

I am thinking about this and I wonder if this will work. I would like to grow some corals using natural sun light in my back porch. I am thinking about getting a 20 gallon tank with a simple HOB filter and a good powerhead. There will be a layer of sand and let the natural sunlight do its job on the corals. I think this way the corals will grow faster than in my tank and I then can transfer the frags to the main tank. There will be a glass cover to prevent the rain from getting inside. No complicated sump, no T5 bulbs and no fish to worry about. Good idea? DP

 

[asudavew]

Go for it!

It would be interesting to watch.... Picture diary?

 

[Dr. Dai Phan]

OK I am gonna to pawn my car then head to the LFS sez I. DP

 

[CaptainAhab]

Not a chance. The only question is if the corals die from the water conditions (heat; or lack there of, quality, etc) or the massive algae bloom that is sure to visit you.

Your posts continue to get more and more... lets say 'interesting' to be politically correct. I am beginning to worry more about you than your fish.

 

[Dr. Dai Phan]

Not a chance. The only question is if the corals die from the water conditions (heat; or lack there of, quality, etc) or the massive algae bloom that is sure to visit you.

Your posts continue to get more and more... lets say 'interesting' to be politically correct. I am beginning to worry more about you than your fish.

Thank you for your concern for my well being. I assure you I can take good care of myself. On a serious note, you do not think the corals can survive with the set up? When I was in the refugee camp in Indonesia long time ago, I used a large clam shell to keep corals I picked from the reef and I just left it out in the open. Until the day I left the island (after staying there for 1.5 years) those corals got bigger and thrived well under primative condition (no filtration of any kind). And it was quite hot in the tropical island. With weekly PWC and no fish load I assume the corals would thrive in a 20 gallon set up under natural light. I read somewhere that natural sunlight is the best source for their growth. Of course the corals will have to moved in house during winter season. DP

 

[ccCapt]

I would worry about a few things.
How to control the temp if the water gets too hot baking in the sun.
pH issues with a glass top.
Filtration...what are you going to feed the coral? You won't get much if any growth with coral in sterile water...sterile being no fish waste or nutrients for the coral to consume. If you feed, how will you filter the water?

Too bad setting up a frag tank wasn't as easy as putting water in a tank and letting it go. Did you ever notice how many people have problems keeping corals in the display systems, let alone a small, stand alone frag tank. A frag tank should have the same type of filtration, lighting, flow, water chemistry and stability as a main display system.

 

[Dr. Dai Phan]

I would worry about a few things.
How to control the temp if the water gets too hot baking in the sun.
pH issues with a glass top.
Filtration...what are you going to feed the coral? You won't get much if any growth with coral in sterile water...sterile being no fish waste or nutrients for the coral to consume. If you feed, how will you filter the water?

Too bad setting up a frag tank wasn't as easy as putting water in a tank and letting it go. Did you ever notice how many people have problems keeping corals in the display systems, let alone a small, stand alone frag tank. A frag tank should have the same type of filtration, lighting, flow, water chemistry and stability as a main display system.

Excellent points you brought and I had thought about some of these too. Regarding the temperature, the sun can heat up the water quickly so to do this, it has to be done at the time of year where the temperature does not get above 85 degrees. Of course the heater will play a role in the cooler months. With weekly PWC and HOB filter, I assume that will be enough to provide acceptable water quality for coral growth? The purpose here is to ultilize the best possible light source which is the sun to facilitate coral growth. DP

 

[MichaelsLilGray]

as good of.... an idea as that is.. it has so many flaws in it.. the problem with direct sunlight.. is the ammount of algea you will allow into the tank.. it would overrun the tank probably within a week of this "system"

 

[melosu58]

The natural sunlight will be diffused light after going through the glass. As mentioned above it will cause heating and algea problems. Not really a good idea. Sorry.

 

[Innovator]

I don't think you will be satisfied with an answer until you try it yourself, which I don't see a problem in. You would still need to set the aquarium up as one would normally, but taking emphasis on heat and natural sunlight. I would either purchase some poly film like they use in greenhouses or some type of shade cloth to keep the area cool and UV's down. You do not want to cover the aquarium, but do utilize fans. I would also employ chemical filtration heavily.

 

[BucJason]

You'd be better off just getting some bad as* halogen lights for your display tank and letting them grow in optimal water conditions and water temperature

 

[thincat]

Hey Doctor, From your previous post I can see that you like to try new and innovative ideas. I say....Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Give it a shot and take lots of pictures so that we all can enjoy the adventure with you.
TC

 

[SparKy697]

This is an idea that I have kicked around a little myself. I remember a member doing this with a planted tank, in the winter too. I'd love to see it tried. Water quality will be an issue for sure. Heat might be the biggest concern though. Something else to consider is rain. A good storm could easily shake up the whole system.

As said before, lot's of pictures and data please.

 

[Dr. Dai Phan]

Hello,

I have been thinking about this and there are some issues at hand. First is the temperature from the sun. This can be solved by running the tank in the cooler months of the year. The second is the algae boom. Cleaning the glass daily should do it. In a small aquarium, this should be done easily. Third, the filtration system can be ultilized with a HOB and since there is no fish and weekly PWC, nitrate can be kept under control. The return is the fast coral growth from the natural sunlight. Whether this worth the time I do not know but I would like to try. I have a spare 10 G tank that I am going to try out. I will post pictures of my progress. DP

 

[thincat]

sounds like a plan!
TC

 

[Justin1989]

Also the possibility of a fuge under the system? this would keep your algae problem out of the main tank itself.